Poland advances legislation for bird damage compensation

The Polish Sejm is advancing legislative steps to establish a compensation system for farmers suffering losses caused by wild birds. Two previously separate parliamentary projects have been merged for consideration to streamline the process.

Key amendments approved by the agriculture and environmental committees include specifying the list of bird species eligible for compensation. This list includes cranes and various species of geese, which cause significant damage to crops such as corn and fresh cereal sowings, as well as to breeding ponds.

The National Support Centre for Agriculture (KOWR) is expected to play a central role in managing these compensations. Farmers have long advocated for this system, noting that bird damage is increasing in severity and leads to high costs for replanting and additional field treatments.